What an on-cost for the Olympics

Possibly the stadium won't be re-opened until August 2016. No doubt there will be quite a considerable cost in security and upkeep during this time and anybody wishing to partake of the 'Olympic Legacy', that was often quoted in the run-up, are going to have to do it elsewhere until then. I accept that the stadium needed some modification from its Olympic specifications but to wait until after the next Olympics before it comes back into use seems a tad extreme.

I included cost as there will be quite a substantial cost involved, especially if it does go a full four years before it starts to earn it's own keep. I appreciate that there is a lot of other work to go on in the area that had already been agreed on, and to be truthful the regeneration was long overdue even before it was selected as the main Olympic venue, but I would have thought that getting it back into use would be a priority. Pictures I have seen recently show peeling paint and rust which make it look as though it is already being neglected which is a shame.

Hampden Park, in Glasgow, which already has seen transport & parking infrastructure improvements over the past year or so, will be 'relegated' [temporarily] to a 'football free' zone for a year or so, in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The entire park will be open to the public from Easter 2014. That's pretty good going, considering the amount of work that has to be done to make the necessary changes.

When I went to the Olympic athletics in the stadium I spent part of the (very hot)day wandering around the park, and I was very impressed with what had been done - the landscaping and planting in particular was beautiful. I think that Londoners are lucky to have an area like it, and I'm optimistic that it will be a great success in the future.

Anyone who attended events at the Olympic Park will know just how HUGE it was, a 25 minute walk from Greenway Gate in the east to Eton Manor Gate in the west. There is currently an enormous amount of work going on to remove the temporary buildings, restructure those that are staying and to turn into parkland most of the rest. The fact that some of it re-opens in 2014 is quite remarkable.

Personally, as someone involved in athletics, I cannot wait for the stadium to be available again for that sport. Our so-called national stadium at Crystal Palace is a disgrace and needs decommissioning. I am amazed we can still get away with holding international meetings there.